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Conference Title: PREX x JICA Kansai Symposium “Walking with the World” – International Cooperation = People and Things Linking Japan and the World
Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Organized by Pacific Resource Exchange Center (PREX), co-organized by Japan International Cooperation Agency, Kansai Center (JICA Kansai)
Location: Zoom online meeting
Main Participants
Greetings from the Organizer
Mr. Kiyoshi Otsubo, Chairman, Pacific Resource Exchange Center (PREX)
keynote speech
Akihiko Tanaka, President, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
greeting of guest of honor
Mr. Tsutomu Himeno, Government Representative / Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for Kansai
panel discussion
Coordinator: Prof. Izumi Ohno, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
panelist
Mr. Yasuhiro Kawazoe, Glocal Coordinator for Township Development, Ama Town
Ms. Haruka Toyama, Sales Planning Manager, Daikin Philippines, Inc.
Mr. Masaaki HANI, Co-Chairman of CHEZA, LLC
Nonprofit organization F.M. Waiwai, Director Mr. Junichi Hibino
Background and Objectives
The Pacific Resource Exchange Center (PREX), a public interest incorporated foundation that is engaged in human resource development and personnel exchange in developing countries mainly in the Kansai region, and JICA Kansai jointly hosted the symposium in 2024, the 70th anniversary of ODA, to discuss Japan’s involvement in global issues and how to utilize regional vitality to solve common social problems, and to look ahead to the future of international cooperation. The symposium was held with the aim of providing an opportunity to discuss Japan’s involvement in global issues and how to utilize regional vitality to solve common social problems, and to look ahead to the future of international cooperation.
Contents
In his keynote speech, President Tanaka explained that Japan’s international cooperation, which began in 1954, has from the beginning emphasized mutual benefit, a stance that is also important in JICA’s vision of “Connecting the World with Trust.
After mentioning the revision of the Development Cooperation Program Guidelines in June 2023, he explained the points of contact between Kansai, where this symposium will be held, and international cooperation, noting Kansai’s strengths in “enterprising spirit,” which expresses its character to proactively tackle new things without being bound by convention, and its achievements in cooperation in the areas of disaster prevention, water, and manufacturing. In addition, the company is developing leading examples in the flow of human resources and multicultural conviviality.
In the panel discussion that followed, the panelists introduced the role that international cooperation plays in addressing issues facing Japan and the world, as well as their current activities based on their own experiences overseas, and offered lively opinions on the future of international cooperation and the human resource development in developing countries and in Japan that will support such cooperation.
In summing up the symposium, the key word for international cooperation is “friends,” and international cooperation is an opportunity to “connect and expand relationships,” not just special activities in distant places. He also expressed his expectations for the future expansion of the program.
The event ended on a high note, with participants commenting that “international cooperation in the future will not only help build a better world, but will also be a driving force for creating a new Japan,” while sharing the significance of the theme, “Connecting Japan and the World,” throughout the entire event.
Chairman Ohtsubo
JICA President Tanaka
panel discussion
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